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Nullification is… Irresponsible?

“Nullification Talk Is ‘Irresponsible,’ Says South Carolina Writer. Well, of course it is! If it isn’t on the 3×5 card of allowable opinion, it’s not only irresponsible — it’s downright dangerous. Seditious, even. The nerve of these people, thinking they might have some say in constitutional interpretation. No, no, no! Federal judges are our infallible guides. Forget James Madison’s Report of 1800, or common sense, for that matter. One and indivisible, now and forever!”

He continues:

“Notice what isn’t “irresponsible,” by the way: abuses of executive orders, criminalizing marijuana based on the testimony of quacks, imprisoning Japanese Americans, slaughtering Iraqis for no good reason, destroying 96% of the value of the dollar, racking up a present value of $222 trillion of unfunded liabilities — the federal government, you’ll note, is not condescendingly scolded as “irresponsible.” No, citizen. Resisting these wise custodians of the public good is what’s irresponsible.”

Here is the political rule: the interpretation of the Constitution shall not be trusted to take place by the individuals in society. Only those in “leadership” (rulership) have been blessed with such a duty. What does this remind you of? How about the Papal authority of the Roman Catholic Church? The reformers radically opposed the authoritarians on this point. And now the libertarians oppose today’s authoritarians in the same vein.

The natural tendency of the population is liberty and decentralization. The natural tendency of those in charge is centralization and totalitarianism. There are far more people than politicians. People are learning. Politicians are worried. Think about it. Four years ago, what mainstream media source even mentioned nullification?

C.Jay Engel
Editor and creator of The Reformed Libertarian. Spends his day as an investment advisor and helping people with their financial strategies. Living in Northern California with his wife, he writes on everything from politics to theology and from culture to economic theory. You can send an email to reformedlibertarian@gmail.com